


Happy Little Accident

by TheSassBrit



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Cullen and Tessa as parents completes me, F/M, Fluff, Pregnancy, Sophie Rutherford, Tessa Trevelyan, labor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-01
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-05-24 06:05:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6143924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSassBrit/pseuds/TheSassBrit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tessa made a little mistake, and now she and Cullen happily look forward to the future together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy Little Accident

Tessa stared down at her last bottle of potion. 

How could she have possibly made this mistake? 

The way the potion worked was simple. Drink a dose every morning and no children would appear. Tessa knew how the potion affected the body and how it prevented pregnancy, but that wasn’t important at the moment. 

What was bloody important was the fact that she was due to get a new set of potions for this month and she had one left in one of her previous sets. 

She had just enough for every day of the previous month, but there was one left among all of the empty bottles. 

Which means she missed a day. 

Tessa narrowed her eyes at the offending bottle and she swiped it up and stared at it. She had made a box with the numbers of the month on the bottom so she could keep track of the bottles easily. This one was in the far corner and she should have taken it at the beginning of the month. She could see how she would have missed it, since it was in the back corner of the box and would have been hidden by the other bottles. 

“Well, that explains things,” she mumbled. 

She had missed her monthly course this month and she was never late, causing her to check the box in the first place. And she had felt…strange. 

At first, she came to the assumption it was a side effect of the anchor and her battle with Corypheus. Now, she wasn’t so sure. 

She was just tired all the time now, even before her battle with the Magister. Cullen had even commented on how tired she seemed sometimes. She felt nauseous and no food looked appealing anymore. She had to stop in the middle of one of the stairways of Skyhold because she suddenly felt dizzy and short of breath. 

Her training as a Spirit Healer was screaming at her to open her eyes and accept it, but the rest of her was keeping her eyes closed. 

Tessa sat down on her bed, staring down at the bottle in her hands. It was funny, one week ago, Cullen proposed to her and she said yes. A month ago, she was battling Corypheus and had closed the Breach again. 

Her stomach rolled when she realized something. What if she was pregnant during her fight with Corypheus? 

Tessa took a deep breath and held her hands over her lower belly, reaching out with her magic. She felt a flutter of life there and she gasped and pulled her hands away. She didn’t hesitate to make her way out her quarters. If she was right, she had a lot of explaining to do to Cullen and many other people. 

She had to have someone else check, since it was difficult for a healer to check themselves with this matter. 

She had to go to someone who would keep their bloody mouth shut and she only knew one person at the moment who was capable. Normally, she would have gone to Solas, but that obviously wasn’t a choice anymore. 

“Vivienne, please.”

“My dear, you can easily check yourself. You have more experience in the healing arts than I.”

Tessa bit her lip and ran her fingers through her hair. “I have, but I want a second opinion and I honestly don’t trust Dorian or the healer to keep their mouth shut if I am.”

Vivienne arched a brow at that. “Good point. Come here.”

Tessa took a seat down on Vivienne’s chaise and took deep breaths as she laid back. She had to be absolutely sure before she told Cullen or anyone else. 

At the thought of him, she glanced down at the ring on her finger as Vivienne prepared herself. “Alright, my dear, relax.”

Tessa closed her eyes and waited as Vivienne ran her hands over her lower belly. Her stomach rolled nervously as she waited for the Enchanter to finish. 

“Well, my dear, you are correct. You’re pregnant.”

Tessa’s eyes opened and tears started to fill them. 

She was pregnant. 

She felt as if she was floating and she became lightheaded as her heart began to pound. Her hands started to trace over her lower belly and she blinked rapidly as the tears came faster. “Vivienne…”

“Yes?”

Tessa sat up with a beaming smile. “I have to tell Cullen right away.”

“That would be wise.” The Enchanter’s smile was just as big as Tessa’s.

Tessa couldn’t remember the last time she was this happy.

Her annoyance from missing a dose of the potion from before vanished with the confirmation. She and Cullen had talked about having children when order was restored. So they were a couple years early, no harm done. 

And now, she had an explanation for her fatigue and other symptoms. 

She pecked Vivienne on the cheek and hurried down the stairs to the main hall. She had to stop herself from running out the doors. She halted at the top of the stairs and searched the courtyards. Damn, he wasn’t outside. She raced back inside, sprinted through the rotunda, and bolted across the bridge. 

She opened the door to Cullen’s tower, deflating a little when she didn’t see him hovering over his desk like he normally was. 

Tessa refused to be discouraged, despite that. 

Soon, the Inquisitor found herself racing all over Skyhold, asking everyone if they had seen the Commander. 

Her salvation came in the form of Cole. 

“He is in your secret place. He wanted to surprise you.”

Tessa, who had been walking along the battlement, jumped at Cole’s sudden appearance beside her. Cole cocked his head with a tiny grin. “A new life. Something only dreamed before. New heart beating. A creation of love. Will it be happy? Will I be a good mother? Can I keep it safe? Will it be a boy or girl?”

He stopped and looked her in the eye. 

“Do not worry. You love it, so you will make it happy.”

Tears formed in Tessa’s eyes at his words. Maker, he always had that effect on her. She quickly wiped them away before reaching forward and giving the spirit a hug. To be honest, all of those questions were running through her mind, but she was so focused on finding Cullen that she didn’t ponder them. 

“Thank you, Cole.”

She pecked him on the cheek before racing down the stairs to the courtyard below. She knew what Cole meant by her secret place. Cullen had cleaned out the library in the lower levels of Skyhold and it had become a place she could escape to when she needed to. 

The door to the library couldn’t get to her sooner so Tessa used Fade Step to bring herself to it as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She burst through the door and she almost laughed at how Cullen basically threw the books he was holding as he jumped. 

“Tess?” He started to walk toward her from his spot by the desk. 

Tessa couldn’t wait anymore. “I’m pregnant,” she announced, hopping on the balls of her feet a little.

He halted in his tracks, blinking in shock for a moment. His mouth opened and closed many times before he croaked, “What?”

Oh frig. 

Tessa hoped he was just speechless. “I’m pregnant,” she repeated, smiling as she took a step towards him. 

She soon realized she worried for no reason. 

He closed the distance between them and before she knew it, he was kissing her. She couldn’t help but laugh as he started to press kisses wherever he could. She squealed with laughter as he picked her up and spun her around before kissing her again. He cupped her face in his hands, staring down at her. “You’re positive?” he asked, resting his forehead against hers. 

“Yes, Vivienne helped confirm it,” Tessa said, looping her arms around his neck. 

“But how? You take that potion every-“

“I missed a dose.”

Cullen stared down at her in disbelief. He let out a long breath and rubbed the back of his head. “And here I was getting ready to surprise you. You won this round.”

They settled down in the plush armchair she dragged down here. Well, he did while she sat in his lap. “How far along are you?” he asked quietly, settling a large, warm hand on her stomach. 

“I believe 5 or 6 weeks. I would have to check again with my magic.”

Cullen’s eyes widened. “Does the potion hurt the-“

Tessa pressed a kiss to his temple. “No, it only prevents pregnancy…it doesn’t do anything else.”

Cullen’s body relaxed again. “Maker, what are we going to tell everyone? And we still have to meet with people and there’s still so much to do. Are you going to be-“

Tessa stopped his rambling with a kiss. “Everything will be fine. If we can save the world from Corypheus, we can have a baby.”

The couple sat in silence for many moments. Tessa ran her fingers through her lover’s hair, knowing how it soothed him. She knew he was trying to collect his thoughts. Tessa just didn’t want to put too much thought into the complications that may come with this right now. She was trying to focus on the good of this situation. 

Cullen’s hand never left her stomach, as if he was trying to reach out to the life growing there. “If you asked me if I wanted children even a year ago, I would have said no.”

Tessa leaned back a little so she could see his face clearly, waiting patiently. She knew it always took him some time to put how he felt into words. 

“It’s not that I never wanted them. It was just—I mean, how could I be a good father? With the lyrium and the nightmares and…” he trailed off, taking a deep, shaking breath, “How could I be a good father when I still wake up screaming and shaking and-“

Tessa shushed him and pressed a kiss to his temple. She couldn’t let him spiral down in the pit he put himself in sometimes, not now.

Cullen sighed and tightened his hold around her. “But when we talked about this before, I had no fears. I found myself wanting that with you, despite all of my doubts. I just didn’t expect this so soon.”

“Neither did I, but here we are.”

Cullen nuzzled into her neck and she could feel him smile against her skin. “Your brothers are going to kill me. Or your mother will.”

Tessa lightly swatted his shoulder playfully. “I’m the Inquisitor now, they can just try.”

Cullen suddenly sat up straight with wide eyes. “Maker, this means we’ll have to hurry the wedding, wont we?”

Honestly, Tessa wasn’t upset about that. “I’m sure Josephine can whip up something quickly. She can get it all done before I start to show.”

Cullen sighed and pressed a kiss to her shoulder, then to her neck. “Oh Maker, we’ll have to tell Bull, Sera, and Maker knows who else how to act around the child.” 

Biting her lip, other thoughts started to come to mind with his kisses. Tessa moved so she was straddling his thighs and she held his face as she pressed her lips to his. 

“I just remembered, didn’t you have a surprise for me?” she asked as she nibbled along his jawline. 

Cullen let out a chuckle, leaning up and pressing kisses around her collarbone. “Varric and I were able to track down a few more books for you and I was going to show you, but now I have a different idea.”

“Oh?” Tessa gasped, tilting her head back. She was always amazed by how they could get into this situation easily.

“Now,” Cullen paused and lifted his head to meet her eyes, “I want to make love to the mother of my child.”

Tessa had no arguments to that.

* * *

“You’re what?!”

The next people to find out were Tessa’s parents.

Cullen flinched and stopped himself from hiding behind Tessa. Her mother was intimidating before. Now, she was just plain terrifying. 

“I’m pregnant,” Tessa said cooly. Cullen could feel the heat radiating off of her and he could sense the charge of her magic. Oh Maker, she wasn’t happy. 

Tessa always had impeccable control of her magic. To have it react with her emotions meant she had to be deeply upset. 

“Madelyne,” Cedric Trevelyan growled, giving his wife a warning look, “they are already engaged, and I think Tessy would have told us this if she had known before.”

Cedric looked at Cullen and Cullen could see a glint of mirth in his eyes. Wait, why was the Bann amused? 

“I know but…she is the Inquisitor now and something like this can-“

“Ruin my reputation?” Tessa asked flippantly. “Oh Mother, you should hear what they say about me being a mage. My reputation is not in danger.”

Cullen almost rolled his eyes. The Orlesians had plenty to say about Tessa being a mage. Her being pregnant might actually give them a break from the normal horrid gossip. 

Madelyne Trevelyan fumed for a few moments before her shoulders sagged as she sighed. She shook her head before finally letting a tired smile come to her lips. “Well, if you aren’t going to be concerned, I shouldn’t fret myself into the grave either.”

Before anyone knew it, she was reaching forward and wrapping her daughter in a hug. “I should focus on how you’re giving me my first grandchild.”

Cedric winked at Cullen before stepping over and shaking his hand. 

Cullen wondered if the man somehow knew his wife was going to react that way.

* * *

After they delivered the news to Tessa’s brothers, who all were actually more than happy to hear the news, it was time to tell Cullen’s family. 

As expected, they were ecstatic. 

“Cully I can’t believe it! I’m so happy!” Rosalie kept squealing, not letting go of him. 

Tessa, meanwhile, was getting more than enough advice from Mia. 

“And I know you probably know all of this because you’re a healer and all but I’m telling you that keeping your feet propped and warm rags do wonders for your ankles. And eat more than enough vegetables! Oh, and no fish! I heard fish was horrible for the baby and-“

Tessa was almost overwhelmed. Yes, she knew all of this from being a healer. She had even helped bring babies into the world before. Mages were always brought in during the exceptionally dangerous labors. 

She waited and listened patiently as Mia rambled on. She glanced over at Cullen, who was now getting teased by Branson and their eyes met. 

He smiled at her and her stomach fluttered at the action. 

Maker, she loved him.

* * *

Now, it was the Inquisition’s turn to find out. 

“Wot? You got something in the pot?!” Sera laughed, pointing at Tessa’s stomach. 

Iron Bull laughed. “Really, Sera? I’m surprised it hasn’t happened sooner.”

As expected, the Inner Circle was more than happy to hear as well. Varric was already suggesting names and Josephine was planning the wedding and how to decorate the baby room. Cullen was being teased mercilessly, but he took it all with a big smile on his face. 

“Inquisitor, if I may?” Leliana cut in.

Everyone felt silent at the Spymaster’s words. Tessa nodded, face growing grim. Leliana would only use Tessa’s title to bring up something important. 

“The Inquisition still has many enemies and I do not think it would be wise to spread word of this at the moment. I think we should keep this among us and your family members only.”

She gave a pointed look toward the Inner Circle. 

Everyone agreed and the congratulations started up again. 

“So, are you two going to get married sooner? I might be able to stay for the wedding now!” Dorian exclaimed, looking giddy. 

Josephine took over. “Oh! We must tell Divine Victoria. She told me that she must be at the wedding. She might even conduct the ceremony. We all know how much she likes romance and all. We could even…” she trailed off and started to scribble furiously on her clipboard. 

Cullen almost shook his head in disbelief. He honestly shouldn’t have been surprised. This woman planned a victory celebration not even three days after the battle. Cullen had no doubt she could help them plan a wedding quickly. 

In the little time they had to spare between telling his siblings and the Inner Circle, they decided it would be best to get married in the next month. If anyone could pull that off, it was Josephine. 

Cullen caught Tessa’s eye and she smiled at him before paying attention to her friends again. 

Maker, he loved her.

* * *

Tessa officially decided she hated being pregnant. 

She hated how she wasn’t disgusted with herself after stuffing 12 Orlesian pastries down her throat. She hated how she was craving peanuts and those sorts of things all of a sudden, despite the fact she was allergic. 

At least all of the stresses that came with planning a wedding went into Josephine’s hands. There was going to be a small ceremony for family and friends and then there was going to be the big wedding for the rest of Thedas. The Inquisitor’s marriage was probably going to be the biggest event thrown since the peace talks at the Winter Palace. 

And Tessa hated that too. 

“I hate politics,” Tessa grumbled. She was curled up on her couch in Cullen’s office and Cullen hummed in agreement from his desk. Tessa idly scratched Pepper’s ears as she watched him work. The mabari huffed and rested her head against Tessa’s hip. 

Cullen still worked, despite the fact they weren’t at war. Something about still keeping the troops in line or some other rubbish. Then again, she was glad she didn’t have to run the army and she left him to his work. 

Tessa rested her head on her arms and she studied him closely. His hands shook a little as they held some reports and he had bags under his eyes. 

“Do you want some tea, love?” she asked. The peppermint tea she preferred helped him usually. 

Cullen sighed and dropped the reports on his desk. “Am I that obvious?” he grumbled. 

“Not to anyone else,” Tessa said reassuringly, getting up from her spot on the couch. Pepper hopped off and followed her. Tessa wondered if Cullen ordered the mabari to follow her like a personal bodyguard. 

Cullen ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a long breath. “Yes, I would love some tea.”

Tessa stepped closer to him and she started to see his warning signs of a headache coming. His brow was more pinched than usual and he was fidgeting. She held out her hand and he took it, allowing her to settle on his lap. She wrapped her arms around him, hoping to get rid of some of the tension inside of him. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and they held each other for many moments. 

“Tess, how can I help protect our child when I can barely—“ Cullen’s words ended abruptly and Tessa could feel him start to shake. 

The Inquisitor knew it was the withdrawal and the pain from his past talking, and she knew she would have to constantly help him in this relationship. She couldn’t find any words at the moment, though. 

Without thinking, she pulled away enough to be able to look him in the eye. He didn’t meet her gaze at first, but he eventually did. “Do you want to know what happened when I first found out?” she asked quietly. 

“You went to Vivienne and—“

“No, when I was looking for you. Did you even wonder how I found out you were in my library? When no one knew where you were?”

Cullen’s eyes widened a little and that answered Tessa’s question. “I ran into Cole on the battlements. He…helped me.” Tessa rested her hands on Cullen’s chest, playing with the edges of his cloak. She looked up at him again. “I was so focused on finding you that I didn’t think about my own doubts about all of this. I’m the Inquisitor. I still have enemies despite the fact Corypheus is gone. What if the anchor hurts the baby? Will I be able to protect it?”

Cullen’s hold around her tightened and she took a deep breath before continuing, “Cullen, when I saw Cole, I realized I was terrified. So much can go wrong and I didn’t even think I was going to be able to be a mother until all of this happened,” she waved her left hand a little, “I wasn’t preparing myself because I wasn’t expecting it, but Cole said something plain and simple.”

“And what was it?” Cullen asked. Tessa could feel him playing with the end of her braid. 

“He said, ‘Don’t worry. You love it, so it will be happy.’ Cullen, us caring for each other has supported us through more than most people can imagine. Loving our child will help us get through even more.” She paused and tightened her grip on his cloak. “And I hate it when you talk about yourself like that. I couldn’t imagine someone who is more capable of being a father than you.”

He let out a soft, disbelieving laugh before tightening his hold around her. “I love you,” he said quietly. 

Tessa pecked his forehead with a smile. “I love you too. Now, do you want me to get that tea and make your headache go away?”

“Maker, yes please.”

* * *

Many changes came with pregnancy, Tessa found out. 

She had new freckles on her face and her breasts were tender enough to cause her to start going without her usual breastband. She wasn’t anticipating the feelings that came with pregnancy. Both her mother and Mia were more than happy to tell her that what she was feeling was normal, and she knew it was as well, but she couldn’t help but feel guilty. 

Tessa didn’t want to see anyone lately. And she didn’t feel excited like she did in the beginning. She walked along the battlements with Pepper trailing behind her. Now she absolutely knew Cullen had to have given some sort of order for the mabari. 

Tessa was worried at first. She should have been excited about everything in her life at the moment. Corypheus was defeated, she and Cullen were married, she was in touch with her family again. She was bleeding pregnant and the child was something she and Cullen created out of love. 

Yet, she didn’t feel excited for the last part. 

For once, she went to her mother for answers and Madelyne’s letter only said to not worry and this was normal at the beginning. Tessa looked out at the mountain range, taking a deep breath. The fresh air helped with the nausea, at least. 

Frankly, Tessa felt like she just got trampled on every morning. 

And Cullen had been nothing but supportive so far. And besides basically appointing Pepper as her personal bodyguard, he wasn’t overbearing or overprotective, which Tessa appreciated. Maybe he had a feeling she needed space right now. 

When the morning sickness started to hit, he held her hair every morning and even arranged for toast to be brought up to their room first thing in the morning. Tessa found that eating the toast before getting up and starting her day caused her to vomit less. 

When she asked how he knew about that, he sheepishly showed her a letter from Mia. 

She sighed, glancing down at her stomach, which was starting to poke out now. 

Maker, how was she supposed to be excited about this when all she had to show for it was new freckles, nausea, a bigger waistline, and mood swings?

She turned to go back toward the main part of the keep, but a fluttering feeling made her halt in her tracks. She stared down and tears welled up in her eyes when she felt the fluttering feeling again. The baby was moving. 

That was _**her**_ baby _**moving**_. 

Tears started to form in the Inquisitor’s eyes and she couldn’t stop smiling as she stared down at the rounded top of her belly. She rested a hand on it. The fluttering was barely there and she couldn’t feel it with her hand, but that didn’t make a difference. 

For the first time months, she started to feel something.

* * *

Josephine was droning on about Lord So-and-So from Who-Knows-Where and Cullen was starting to feel immensely irritated and bored. 

It had almost been 5 months since the defeat of Corypheus and they were still meeting nobles. 

He glanced over at his wife—Maker, he still wasn’t used to calling her that and it made him giddy—and warmth rushed through him at the sight. 

She had her hair pulled back in its usual braid, and she had one hand resting on the top of her stomach while the other held up the report Josephine gave them. There was no hiding her rounded belly now and he didn’t know how many official announcements they had to make. A warm, calm feeling settled over him as he stared at her. 

He still couldn’t believe that she was pregnant with his child. 

Tessa seemed to always know when he was staring at her and she glanced up at him with a smile. Her eyes suddenly widened and she stared down at her stomach. She reached over and grabbed his hand and started to pull off his glove. 

He stared at her in confusion when she finally got the glove off and she placed it on her stomach. 

A light push against his palm had him staring down at their joined hands and tears started to blur his vision. His knees felt weak and his heart leapt up to his throat as emotion came over him when he felt a harder push. 

He looked up at her face again to find her beaming. 

“Tess…”

Nothing else seemed to matter as they stood there. His disbelief soon became awe and he quickly pulled off his other glove and put his hands on either side of her stomach. The room was silent as he and Tessa basked in their moment.

“That’s the first time it’s kicked hard enough,” Tessa managed to choke out, dabbing at her eyes. 

Cullen blinked rapidly to keep his tears from falling and more formed when he felt another push against his hand. “Maker,” he breathed out, choking back a sob. 

Tessa rested her hands on top of his and he saw her holding back her own tears. 

Another sniffle caused Cullen to glance over at Josephine, who was beaming and fanning her face, trying not to cry herself. 

And Cullen didn’t see Leliana smile often, but a soft grin was on her face. 

“I believe it will be alright if we take a long break, don’t you Josie?”

Josephine could only manage to nod and they left the room. 

Cullen’s throat closed up when the baby pushed against his hand again. Tessa groaned and her hand clutched at his fingers. “Alright, that one was uncomfortable.”

With a chuckle, Cullen managed to pull his hands away and wrap them around her instead, pulling her close to him. “It finally seems real,” he mumbled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

He felt her nod before she nuzzled against his chest. 

Cullen’s life was far from perfect, but it felt like it was now.

* * *

Tessa officially hated being pregnant. 

She was already self-conscious about her arse and hips before, but now her stomach and the rest of her body was on that list. How Cullen still believed she was beautiful and all of those other things he says, she doesn’t know. 

Another thing Tessa hated about being pregnant was how she couldn’t stay in one position for long. She used to be able to just sit for hours and read a book without trouble. Now, she had to move every five minutes to keep from aching. Being 30 weeks along was not as glamorous as other women had made it out to be. 

The Inquisitor was lying in her bed, trying to read over reports and keeping her legs elevated. She flexed and bent her leg sometimes, rolling her foot around to stretch her poor ankles before letting it plop back down on the mountain of pillows she had at the end. While she and Vivienne didn’t get along most of the time, the Enchanter was kind enough to send her special pillows Orlesian women rested their feet on. They worked perfectly for Tessa’s poor ankles. 

And, while Tessa was a mage who usually used fire spells, she was almost unbearably hot most of the time now. So, she was also just in her smalls while looking over reports. 

And that was how Cullen found her. 

The sound of the door opening and his footsteps had her looking up, waiting until he reached the top of the stairs. He spotted her and he let out a laugh. “Are you comfortable?” he asked as he shucked off his outer coat. 

“Very.”

Cullen’s smile only grew as he removed the rest of his armor. Soon, he was stripped down to just his pants and Tessa couldn’t help but admire her husband’s broad chest. 

Well, one good thing about being pregnant was that her libido was constantly skyrocketing. It got her into trouble sometimes, but who could blame her? She bit her lip and tossed the reports aside as Cullen strode toward the bed. Maker, she still couldn’t believe he was all hers sometimes. The hair on his chest tickled her legs as he moved the pillows out of the way and crawled up toward her. 

She giggled when his stubble scratched against the sensitive skin of her inner thigh as he pressed kisses up toward her hip. A shiver ran down her spine when his large, calloused hands parted her thighs so he could rest between them. 

Tessa’s heart swelled in her chest as he pressed kisses all over her belly. “I love you both,” he whispered against her skin. 

Tessa reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, pulling slightly to make him look up at her. Their eyes met and his smile caused her whole body to feel light. “We love you too,” she replied, letting her fingers linger on the back of his neck before moving to his shoulder. 

He returned to pressing kisses to her skin and he started to move up. Tessa sighed when he pressed kisses to her collarbone and up toward her neck. He nipped and suckled at her skin, moving toward her lips. His nuzzled his nose against hers, causing her to giggle again. She reached up and pulled him down into a soft kiss and she felt him grin against her lips. 

They pulled apart and Tessa traced her fingertips along the side of his face. 

“Hi.”

“Hi,” he replied with a chuckle, leaning down again. One kiss turned into many pecks before he tugged on her bottom lip a little. 

She reached up and pushed on his shoulder. He smirked and took the hint, helping them roll to where she was above him, straddling his hips. “How was your day?” she asked nonchalantly, smirking up at him before pressing her own kisses down his neck. 

“Much better now.”

“Oh?” Tessa moved down, skimming her teeth against his pulse. 

“Tess,” he groaned, rolling his hips against her. 

While Tessa was enjoying his enthusiasm, her back was starting to hurt. An idea floated to the surface through the waves of desire coursing through her now and she made a note to thank Dorian and Josephine for the books they gave her on pregnancy. 

She sat up straight, tossing her hair over her shoulder, causing it to tumble down toward her lower back. Maker, she kept forgetting to get it cut. She heard Cullen suck in a quick breath though and that quickly had her focusing on the task at hand again. 

She rolled to the side and started to wiggle her smalls down her legs. Once she and Cullen finally managed to get the bloody thing off, she rested on her side and looked at him over her shoulder, biting her lip.

Cullen’s eyes almost glazed over and she couldn’t help but smirk as he reached forward and pulled her hips back toward him, pressing his chest to her back.

Yes, this was definitely a plus to pregnancy.

* * *

That night, Cullen couldn’t help but stare at Tessa as she slept. 

It was late, and thanks to her elevated temperature, they opted to keep the doors to the balcony open on nights like this. Cullen was curled against her back, with one arm underneath her pillow and the other resting over her stomach. He was starting to catch himself on his new habit. Whenever he was near her now, he would rest a hand on her rounded belly, hoping to catch another kick or just to comfort himself. 

He still couldn’t believe that he was here sometimes. 

A couple years ago, he would have believed being married with a child on the way was impossible. 

Yet, here he was. 

He nuzzled against the back of her neck, trying to think of what he possibly did to catch this amazing woman’s eye. What did he say or do that made her want to be with him?

He used to look the gift horse in the mouth, not thinking that he deserved someone as wonderful as her. He did the opposite now. He thanked the Maker every day when he saw her. He praised Andraste with every touch or glance she gave him. 

And now she was giving him the ultimate gift he had only dreamed of having. 

A child. 

Cullen rested his hand toward the bottom of Tessa’s belly, close to where she said the head was. She had even shown him how she knew, guiding his hands and telling him what he was feeling. He knew the baby’s back was facing toward Tessa’s left and the head was where it was supposed to be, based on what she showed him. 

He wondered if the child was a girl or a boy. Would they be a mage, like their mother, or would they be like him? Would they have Cullen’s eyes or Tessa’s violet eyes? Cullen hoped the child would have their mother’s beautiful, red gold wavy curls, but he had a feeling the Rutherford blond curls was going to be on their head. Would they be short and curvy like Tessa, or tall and broad like him?

Maker, what was their personality going to be?

He desperately wanted to know all of the answers to his questions and he knew he had a month or two to wait, but he would wait as long as he had to. 

Tessa suddenly grunted and jolted awake, pressing a hand to the top of her stomach. 

“Love?”

“Maker, they kicked me right in the ribs this time. Definitely your child,” she grumbled sleepily.

Cullen scoffed playfully and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Are you saying I kick you in the ribs, Inquisitor?”

Tessa looked over her shoulder with a cheeky grin. “No, but you do kick in your sleep sometimes.”

“I do not.”

“Yes you do. And you talk too.”

Cullen huffed and let her go, rolling over on his other side. “Well, if that’s the case, I’ll just stay over here and—“

Tessa laughed and rolled after him, pressing herself against his back. “Hold on, I want to try something.”

“What in the world are you going to—Sweet Maker,” Cullen tried to look at her as much as he could. “Did you just poke my back?” 

Tessa beamed up at him, draping an arm over his waist. “Nope, it’s your child saying hello. Now, I’m going to try to sleep.” 

Cullen snorted in laughter when he felt the barely-there poke again. 

He rested his hand over hers and he brought it up to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the back of it before intertwining their fingers together. 

“Do I really talk in my sleep?”

“Goodnight, Cullen.”

* * *

Tessa knew something was wrong. 

She had helped women get through hard pregnancies and labors before, so she knew what to look for. She felt weak all morning and she finally sat next to a sundial in the garden. She kept her hand close to where the baby usually kicked, counting how many kicks were happening. She desperately hoped she was wrong. 

Her heart rate picked up when she realized that the baby wasn’t kicking as often. She stood up from her spot in the garden and started to waddle toward the main hall. Thankfully, Mother Giselle spotted her. 

“Lady Inquisitor?”

“Get Marina,” Tessa ordered, going toward the door to her quarters, “And also tell Commander Cullen to come immediately. And if he says he’s busy, tell him it’s an order.”

She didn’t think it would come to that, but she wasn’t taking chances. She needed her husband with her. 

And Marina was a fellow spirit healer from Ostwick that joined the Inquisition many months ago. She taught Tessa almost everything she needed to know about labor and delivery and Tessa wasn’t going to trust anyone else to help her. 

Tessa tried to keep herself from panicking. Was the baby in trouble? Why wasn’t it moving as much? There was still 6 weeks until she was due. She basically had to pull herself up the stairs to her quarters and she started to be short of breath. Something was definitely wrong now. 

The slamming of a door and the heavy thud of boots sounded and she welcomed the relief that came with the sound. 

“Tess!”

“Cullen,” she weakly answered, trying to keep herself upright as possible on the stair railing. 

The sound of his boots became louder and she heard the softer sound of other footsteps following him. His familiar, warm presence surrounded her as he picked her up and started to carry her up the stairs. She wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to keep from crying. “Something’s wrong,” she managed to whimper. 

They finally made it up to their quarters and Cullen set her on the special bed made specifically for birthing they had brought in. Marina pushed past Cullen and rested one hand on Tessa’s belly and one on her forehead. 

“What did you notice?” she asked. Gray wisps of hair started to fly from her braid as she started to move her hand over Tessa’s abdomen. 

“They’re not kicking as often, and the kicks are weak,” Tessa managed to gasp when Marina’s magic swept through her. 

Marina’s wrinkled brow pinched and she looked up at Cullen. “Go get my apprentice in the infirmary. We need water, elfroot, and felandaris. Now!”

Cullen nodded and hurried out to do so, flying down the stairs as he went. 

Tessa pressed her own hand against her stomach and reached out with her own magic. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes. The placenta is breaking off too early. We need to get the baby out. Now.”

Tessa took a deep breath and looked into Marina’s eyes. They both helped deliver babies in this situation before and both baby and mother turned out just fine. She knew they could do this. 

“Do it.”

* * *

Cullen couldn’t calm down. After he brought Marina’s apprentice back, they basically shoved him out of the room, despite his and Tessa’s protests. 

“Get him back in here now!” he heard Tessa shout. 

“But, my Lady,” the apprentice argued. 

“I’m tired of arguing. Bring him back in! He’s a damn Commander for Andraste’s sake I’m sure he can handle this,” Marina snapped. 

The door unlocked and Cullen glared down at the apprentice before hurrying to Tessa’s side. “What’s going on?” he asked, taking her hand in his. 

“The placenta is breaking off too soon, it’s hurting the baby and I’m bleeding,” she managed between breaths.

Terror swept through Cullen. No. No this couldn’t be happening. 

“So what can we do?” He looked up at Marina for answers. 

The old healer wiped her forehead and Cullen’s stomach churned when he saw the tool the healer was holding. It looked like a long stick with a blunt hook on the end. “We have to break her water and force her into labor and get the baby out. It’s either that or do an operation we just do not have the tools and time for.”

She gestured to her apprentice. “Learn from Tessa. She’s using the spell we use to help the cervix dilate. We need to have double the power. Go!”

She pointed at Cullen. “You have to do exactly what we say. Do you hear me? I vouched for you to let you in so you better not disappoint,” she snapped. 

Cullen took a deep breath and nodded. If he could lead an army through battles, he could do this. “What do I need to do?”

“Hold her hand for now. I’ll tell you what to do as we go. And force her to drink from that pitcher of water we brought in. It will help her make new blood faster.”

Tessa and the other mage held their hands to her stomach and started to glow with a yellow color. “That’s it, make her body react,” Marina was saying, guiding her apprentice gently. 

The healer pulled off Tessa’s leggings and smalls and dipped her hand into a jar nearby, covering her hand with a cream. “Alright, I’m checking, Tessy.”

Tessa nodded. Her brow was pinched and Cullen could see sweat forming on her forehead as she kept the spell going. The lyrium in Cullen’s body was thrumming with their energy and it made him feel…relaxed, almost. 

“Alright, keep it going…you’re starting to dilate.”

Tessa nodded and Cullen knew she was forcing herself to breath evenly. Her grip on his hand was becoming tighter and tighter. “Oh Maker, so this is what a contraction feels like,” she gasped, pressing her forehead to the back of his hand. Her grip tightened again and she gasped in pain. Cullen wished he could bear it for her and he felt helpless as he heard her jaw creak from clenching her teeth so hard. 

“Alright, slow the spell down, we don’t want you contracting too much now. Alice! Come hold this bowl. I’m going to break the water,” Marina ordered. 

Cullen watched in fascination as the women did their work. Marina forced Tessa to sit up after she broke the water and she sat on the edge of the special bed. “We need to keep you upright, it will help the baby come faster. You!” She pointed at Cullen, “When she has a contraction you need to rub the very bottom of her back toward the sacrum, it will help open the pelvis more.”

Tessa nodded in encouragement and Cullen did as he was ordered. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but he knew it couldn’t have been long. It was just shortly after lunch when this started and the sun was just now beginning to set. 

“Alright, Tessy, start the spell again. You’re almost there and you haven’t lost too much blood. Alice, get ready,” Marina ordered. Cullen stared at the contraption she started to set up on the end of the bed. It was a bar that connected to the bedposts and Tessa grabbed onto it as soon as Marina set it up, getting into more of a squatting position.

Tessa’s eyes widened and she started to breathe quickly. “Marina!”

“I know! Now push woman!”

Cullen supported Tessa’s back as she pushed. Her cry of pain filled the room and Cullen’s heart ached with it. 

“She’s losing strength. Cullen! Hold her up!” Marina barked. 

Cullen repositioned himself behind Tessa and did as he was told, heart racing. Was everything alright? “Marina—” 

“I’ll explain when the baby’s here. Now hold her up!”

Cullen helped move Tessa into a better position and used all of his strength to hold her up. 

“Tessy, you need to push dear. I can’t help if I can’t get a hold,” Marina ordered. 

Tessa nodded and Cullen felt her tense as she pushed. She sagged back against him and took a deep breath before pushing again. 

“It’s crowning! Keep going Tessy!”

Cullen pressed a kiss to her temple. “Keep going, Tess, you can do it.” 

He kept whispering encouragements as she tensed and pushed again. Time seemed to stop and the only thing that existed was the voice of Marina barking orders and Tessa’s pained cries. 

A loud, gushing sound reached Cullen’s ears and Tessa finally collapsed back against him, breathing heavily. 

“Alice! Use the spell I taught you the other day and get that placenta out and stop the bleeding,” Marina ordered, standing up. Cullen stared in awe at the small, only slightly wriggling body in the woman’s arms. 

“Cullen, let her lay back, I need you to hold the babe for a moment.”

Cullen somehow forced himself to move without taking his eyes off of the baby. He looked down at Tessa and she gave him a weak smile and gestured to Marina before helping Alice with whatever spell they needed. 

“Do as she says, love. I’ll be fine.”

Cullen sat on the edge of the bed and let Marina position the baby in his arms. He almost laughed at the full head of blonde hair. He studied the rest of the babe and his heart started to seem too big for his chest when he realized he was holding his daughter. He felt like he was free falling for a moment and tears started to make his vision blur. Marina positioned the newborn so she was laying facedown along his forearm and she thumped the baby’s back with the heel of her hand. The baby coughed and a thin, wailing cry finally left her mouth and she started to wiggle in his arms. 

Marina sighed in relief and positioned the babe upright again.

“Tess, we have a daughter,” Cullen managed to choke out, stroking the baby’s cheek. 

Marina smiled at him for the first time before resting her hand on the baby’s chest. “Hold her still, I’m checking to make sure we got her out in time.”

A warm, soft glow surrounded the healer’s hand and the baby let out another sharp cry. 

“Well, I’ll be. It’s a miracle,” Marina breathed out, staring at Tessa. “She didn’t inhale anything, and she’s breathing a little fast but her lungs are working properly. We just need to make sure she can eat.”

She rested a hand on Cullen’s shoulder. “She needs to be skin to skin with her mother. Let’s get her situated.”

Cullen felt he was still in a daze and he couldn’t stop crying, even after they placed his daughter on Tessa’s bare chest near her breast. Tessa sluggishly smiled up at him and she stroked the baby’s cheek. The newborn's eyes opened and Cullen watched in awe and love as Tessa’s eyes met the newborn’s. 

“Hello, I suppose you’re a little impatient,” Tessa gently teased. 

Cullen rested a hand on the back of the newborn’s head. “Are you both alright?” He looked over at Marina for clarification. 

Marina was now collapsed in an armchair nearby. “We were able to get the babe out before any damage could be done, and Tessa caught on to the problem soon enough to where we could fix it quickly. She isn’t in any danger.” She pointed at Tessa. “You better be eating iron rich foods for the next year, missy.”

She handed Cullen the pitcher. “Drink, both of you. It helps calm the nerves.”

The sharp scent of felandaris rose from the water and Cullen scrunched his nose. A sucking noise had him looking toward Tessa and his heart swelled even bigger when he saw the baby nursing.

“When she’s done with that breast, we’re going to check to make sure she can keep it down. If she does, move to the other breast,” Marina ordered, standing from her chair. 

She gestured to Alice. “Let’s get this cleaned up and let them have a moment. Tessy,” she looked toward Tessa, who finally looked away from their daughter, “You know what to look for. Tell me if you see anything else amiss. And drink that! You need to get that blood back.”

The old healer and the young mage cleaned up all of the buckets and bloodied clothes and blankets. 

Finally, they were alone. 

Cullen poured Tessa a glass of the special water and his nose scrunched again as he helped her drink a little. How Tessa didn’t grimace, he didn’t know. 

“Sweet Maker, we’re horrible parents,” Tessa softly laughed after he pulled the cup away. 

Cullen collapsed beside her, resting his hand on the back of his baby girl’s head. “Why?”

“We haven’t even picked names yet! Why did we wait to do that?”

Cullen couldn’t help but laugh. “We’re off to a good start then.”

Tessa stroked the baby’s cheek, tilting her head a little. “Rebecca?” she offered.

While Cullen wanted to kiss her for suggesting using his mother’s name, it didn’t seem to fit the infant in her arms. “Hm…what did you say your other grandmother’s name was?”

Tessa’s eyes lit up and a wide smile came to her lips. “Sophia?”

Cullen remembered how Tessa mentioned enjoying spending time with her grandmother from her mother’s side and how the woman passed away when Tessa was young. 

“Sophia…we can call her Sophie,” Tessa suggested, looking over at him. 

“Sophie,” he tested, playing with the hair on his daughter’s head. The newborn glanced over at him and his heart fluttered in response. “Yes, Sophie works.”

“Sophia Rutherford,” Tessa said, brushing some hair back from Sophie’s forehead. “What is your middle name?” 

Both parents pondered before Tessa came up with a solution. “Well, since we are focusing on grandmothers, what about yours? The one you said baked a lot for you all?”

Cullen hummed in thought. “Sophia Marie Rutherford.”

Sophie suddenly stopped nursing and squirmed a little. Remembering when Rosalie was a baby, Cullen immediately sat up and took the newborn and propped her up on his shoulder, patting her back. 

Tessa, meanwhile, got situated and started to get ready to feed on her other side. “If she keeps it down, we should have nothing to worry about,” she said groggily, rubbing at her eyes. 

Cullen nodded and kept patting Sophie’s back. A small hiccup of a burp left her mouth and Cullen handed her to Tessa again. “Do you need me to get anything?”

“Food and diapers for me and the baby would be nice,” she chuckled, helping Sophie latch on. 

Cullen shook his head in amusement, looking down at the two most important things in his life. Sophie was dry now and her bright blonde curls were almost sticking straight up. And while her skin looked a sort of greyish-blue earlier, it was starting to become a rosy pink as she ate. 

Tears sprang into his eyes again and he quickly wiped them away, leaning down to press a kiss to Tessa’s lips. “You did amazing,” he whispered, leaning down even further to press a kiss to his daughter’s head. 

“Are you serious? If we were any later both of us would have—“ she cut herself off, gulping heavily as tears started to form in her own eyes. 

“And anyone else would have panicked. You were amazing,” Cullen repeated, tilting her chin up to look at him. 

Tessa finally smiled and she reached up with her free hand and rested it on his cheek. “If you say so.”

Cullen rolled his eyes and kissed her again before finally getting up and going toward the stairs. 

He looked back at the bed, watching Tessa coo at Sophie. 

Sophie’s little hand waved around a little before reaching up toward Tessa’s face and Cullen quickly wipe at his eyes again. 

Maker, he was a lucky man.


End file.
